


A Name

by wottertrainer



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breath of the Wild Spoilers, Gen, Genderbending, Genderbent Link - Freeform, Link is a Girl, Link is a girl who ends up identifying and dressing male to fit her idea of a hero, Mipha's there for like a second i guess, botw au, i haven't submitted anything here in ages how does this work again, kind of???, there's some zelink if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15030443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wottertrainer/pseuds/wottertrainer
Summary: Her name was Linkle when she'd accompany her father to the knight's training grounds, when she'd pick up a worn, wooden blade and practice all of the swings, slashes, and spins the knights were learning. She could do most of them better than half of the boys twice her age and her father would boast and gloat that she'll be a better knight than any of them.----Actually copy-pasted from my rp blog for a Link of the same AU, i just like how i wrote it and wanted to post it! <3





	A Name

Her name was Linkle when she'd accompany her father to the knight's training grounds, when she'd pick up a worn, wooden blade and practice all of the swings, slashes, and spins the knights were learning. She could do most of them better than half of the boys twice her age and her father would boast and gloat that she'll be a better knight than any of them.

Her name was Linkle, playing and swimming in the Zora River with Mipha and even smaller child Sidon. The girls sit close on the riverbank as Sidon splashes about, pretending to be an adventurer on his way to finding treasure and fame. There's a weight on her shoulder and a flutter in her chest when Mipha leans on her, and her cheeks are too flushed to meet the Princess' gaze the rest of the day.

Her name was Linkle when she officially registered as a knight of Hyrule-- one of a very small number of females in the entire kingdom tasked with protecting Hyrule. She didn't need training with a sword, so it wasn't long before she was hitting bulls eyes on horseback and working her way to mastering other weapons, like spears and axes. Again, something for her father to gloat about-- oh how she loathed any waking moment near him now.

Her name was Linkle when she awoke in a cold sweat, eyes wide at the sight of a mysterious, beautiful woman in blue at the foot of her bed, calling out to her. She crawls out of bed when the woman floats towards the door, struggling to put on boots and her tunic and hat and it's not five minutes later that she's on horseback, bolting through the empty streets of the Castle Town and into the wilds.  
When she comes home, she is no longer Linkle. The weight of the purple hilt on her back makes her walk tall, but the weight of expectation about to settle in makes her throat tight.

From that moment on, she doesn't respond to the name Linkle. Because the stories talk of a hero rescuing the princess, right? Not a heroine. But the Sword has chosen her, so she has a duty to fulfill. Not as Linkle the Heroine.

But as  _Link, the Hero. Light of Hyrule_.

Word travels fast, and the moment Link returned home, his father swelled with both pride and  _disgust_. _His own little girl, destined to save Hyrule? how fitting a role for a **MAN** , not a sweet young girl like his daughter._ The purple hilt in his hand fit perfectly as he pointed the tip at his father, a sweet alto voice now strung in tenor, telling the man he is no woman. He is Link. And anyone who dare use the name now dead on his tongue will oh so sorely regret it.

His name is Link, now, as he kneels before the King. After the situation with his father, the blond makes his way into the castle, quietly requesting permission to speak with the King, who is now standing above him flabbergasted as he admires the shining purple of the _darkness-sealing sword_  now resting rightfully on it's new Master's back. King Rhoam immediately gives Link a promotion-- he is to be the Princess' personal escort. By Link's request, they come to an agreement. All of Link's papers will be altered to reflect his new duty, as _Link_ , no longer the young woman who applied, and _no one_ is to know.

His name is Link when he is introduced to the Princess, and the scent of her perfume is the first thing he notices-- soft, graceful. He'd smelled something similar of a flower he'd loved as a child, and something in him smiled at how the name of the flower reflected the woman before him.

And,  _oh_ , how he gaped at her beauty behind his silent exterior. Something about her seemed all too familiar, and he heard whispers of other Masters of the sword as he fell to his knee, whisperings of her name spoken with fondness, with admiration, with love. His tenor voice is gentle, now, speaking up once their formal introduction was over, meeting her stone cold gaze with a gentle one of his own.

 

_My life is yours, Princess Zelda._

When Zelda asks him why he's always so quiet, months later, as they huddle for warmth in the wilderness, he isn't sure what to say. He doesn't want to be a disappointment. He doesn't want to be called a fraud. He doesn't want men and women across Hyrule in a panic because _their glorious Hero doesn't have a dick between his legs_.

But he tells her. And his soft, sweet voice, in alto, reaches the ears of the Princess and she  _understands_  him, and it's like the weight of his expectations and everything he has to do falls to the wayside, because Zelda smiling at him like that is the single most beautiful thing he think he's seen in _years_.

 

* * *

 

... Where am i?

  
When she wakes up, something's missing. Something she can't quite put her finger on... but she hears a voice. A familiar, sweet, loving voice, lulling her out of the deep, restful sleep she's been in. The voice sounds desperate, yet patient, letting her fumble out of the makeshift bed-- her body feels heavy and not her own, uncomfortable. Her feet are tingling like they've been asleep (which they have), and she has to sit on the edge of the machine she'd just come out of-- why is she drying off? -- because her head is spinning. The voice calls to her again and gently urges her to stand again, leading her towards the familiar looking item at the other end of the room as soon as she's able. Mechanisms shift when she picks up the Sheikah Slate, the door opens, and it's going to _kill_ her-- who is talking to her? What kind of _light_ is she?

  
The voice, she realizes, calls her by name, _Linkle_ , and it's like sweet bells ringing in her ears, something in her swells with happiness at hearing that name coming from such a sweet voice.

  
Her name is Linkle as she stands at the top of the Temple of Time, the spirit of the late King floating before her. He's smiling at her, softly explaining what had happened to Hyrule to her, and she now has a name to put to the sweet voice she'd heard earlier. When he's disappeared, she steps forward, standing where he'd been mere moments before. She now knows her duty, and, with not a memory to her name, she falls to a knee, tucking a hand to her chest as she bows her head, looking up after a moment towards the castle now swirling with darkness, and familiar words sing out to the Princess in sweet alto for the first time in a hundered years.

My life is yours, Princess Zelda.


End file.
